First off, I’ve met so many people who swear by their Franklin Covey planners. This is NOT a criticism of the Covey planner. I repeat, this is not a criticism of the Covey planner. In fact, for many of my clients, hard copy lists and planners are the answer, and I actually dissuade them from attempting many digital solutions.

God bless them, there’s something about Covey fans though.

They love their planners so much that they like to keep them for years, if not decades. Given that they’re the size of cinder blocks, this can become a substantial storage issue. As someone who can read a home like a book (usually from the foyer), I walk into home after home asking myself upon entry, “Where oh where lurk the shelves or boxes of old Covey planners?” I can almost sniff them out.

Recently the thousandth client of mine with a Franklin Covey collection let me photograph them for this very post. Some people need to hold onto their planners for life, as they are a diary of sorts. Even though I personally can’t relate, I get that, and I know when to pick my battles. This client though recognized that she just needed to spend a morning with the box, recovering any pages of sheer sentimentality, and tossing the rest. It was time. Just because she’s been holding onto them for 17 years, doesn’t mean she needs to hold onto them forever.

Are you also in the Covey camp? What is your system (if any) for handling them at the end of the year? How often do you toss them? Is tossing them even a possibility? How much is your sentimentality (vs. record-keeping) a factor in keeping them? Do you think you hold the record for having the oldest Covey planner? Are you now more willing to let some go, or does addressing it make you want to cling even tighter to those burgundy boxes? I have so many questions! Please share in the comments.

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Office Organizing Expert Kacy Paide loves to do what most people hate: organize offices & paper.

She works with folks who are desperate for a more functional, more beautiful, more inspiring office. Kacy has been a Professional Organizer since 2001 and has worked with over 500 clients. Call her crazy, but she loves a good mess and wants to fix yours. Learn her time-tested solutions in her eBook, The Inspired Office: Organize Your Life One Paper at a Time. Based in Silver Spring, MD, Kacy is nationally available for consulting & speaking.